Tip assembly for parachute projectiles



Sept; 19, 1950 A. RUTHVEN TIP ASSEMBLY FOR PARACHUTE PROJECTILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1946 INVENTOR. A. L. RUTHVf/V BY VM-l/TEHEAD V0 1 M ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1950 TIP ASSEMBLY FOR PARACHUTE PROJECTILES Alfred L. Ruthven, Denver, 0019., assignor of three-fifths to himself as trustee for Betty R. Ruthven, Thomas D. Ruthven, and Sharon A. Ruthven; one-fifth to Helen D. Ruthven, and one-fifth to Louis R. Ruthven Application January 15, 1946, Serial No. 641,198

Thi inventionrelatesto improvements in projectile parachutes of the general-type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 474,240

means, adapted to be readilyengaged to and/or disengaged from the tip end of the projectile; (d) parachute engaging andreleasing means of improved structure and operation whereby to accomplish better balancing and direction of the projectile in fiightand to increase the length of projected flight.

With these and other objects in view, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear, the

. invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will now'be described and defined in the appended claims and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention, and in. which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a projectile, including the present improvement, carrying a parachute and ready for flight.

Fig. 2 is a fragment of Fig. 1, illustrating more exactly the arrangement of the parachute on the tip for most effective operation.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the projectile and parachute, illustrated at Fig. 1, but illustrating the changes in position of the various parts during reversal of direction betweenprojected flight and opening of the parachute in downward flight.

Fig. 4 is anlelevation of the parachute and suspended projectile in downward flight.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the improved tip assem-' bly taken at right angles to the view thereof in Fig. 1 and without the parachute shown at Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a view, partly. in elevation and partly in section, of the improved tip assembly, the

projectile-engaging tip being shown in section. i

Fig. 7 is a view of the butt end of the projectile, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the improved tip and parachute engaging fin,

showing the same in position as it would be when the projectile is'in the position shown at Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a view-of the embodiment shown at Fig.8 but in upright position and showing the tip'incentral, longitudinal section.

- Fig; 10 isa view of the embodiment illustrated at Fig. c but with the tip upright as m Fig. 9

5 Claims. (Cl. 46-86) i 2 and taken at right angles to the position illustrated at Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view like Fig. 9 but illustrating another form of parachute engaging fin.

The projectile here illustrated is in the form of an arrow adapted to be shot from a bow and the description will be in terms appropriate thereto but, so far as concerns the present invention, any suitable projection device may be used and the projectile may be adapted thereto in form and structure, the present invention residing in the tip for the projectile and in the parachuteengaging fin associated with the tip.

The projectilecomprises a shaft 2i provided with suitable feathers or guide fins 22 near its butt end which end is cross notched as illushooked into the other hole.

trated at Fig. 7 for the purpose later described. The forward end of the projectile is plain and adapted toreceive thereover the hollow tip 23', of uitable material such as aluminum.

The improved tip 23 has a seat 23a into which the forward end of the projectile may be fitted so that the tip will be carried by the projectile as a part thereof and will form a heavy point or tip on the projectile.

The other end of the tip is bifurcated as at 23b and a parachute-engaging fin 24 is pivoted, asat 25, between the furcations whereby the fin may move to and between the parachute-engaging horizontal'position shown at Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6 and the release position shown at Figs. 3 and 4.

A spring 2'5 encircling the tip and, at one end, hooked thereto as at 21, is engaged to the fin 24 by suitable means as by hooking the free end of the spring into one of the holes 28, said holes being so positioned in the fin that the hooking of the spring into one hole will result in exerting a greater pull upon the fin than if the spring were As many holes 28 as desired may beprovided so as to aiford a variety of tensions on the fin. Normally spring 26 will draw fin 24 to and hold it in release position as shown at Figs. 3 and 4.

Fin 24 has an upper edge which extends to a substantial distance in both directions beyond tip 23 when the fin is in parachute-engaged position. Referrin to the fin as in such position, the upper edge of the fin is substantially horizontal but it is preferably divided into two sec-.

tions 2411, on a higher level, and 24b on a relatively lower level, a stop 24c being provided at the outer end of portion 24a of the upper edge. Stop 2 4d is also provided in the lower edge of the fin 24 whereby to contact the tip 23 and limit the swinging of the fin to a point, as shown at Fig. 6,

at which point the edge 24a inclines slightly downwardly to the right, as viewed at Fig. 6.

The parachute, in connection with which this invention is designed to be used, is designated as 29 with shroud lines 3b and shroud-line cord l3! and a crown cord 32.

In operation cord 3! is suitably secured to shaft 2! as indicated at 33 and the parachute is folded over edge 24a in the manner clearly illustrated at Fig. 2, and crown cord 32 is drawn taut and placed in one of the notches in the base of the projectile as clearly illustrated at Fig. '7, the bow string 3 positioned in the other notch, serving to grip cord 32 and hold it taut until proj ected from the bow.

The pull of the parachute on edge E ia holds fin 28 in the position indicated at Figs. 1, 2 and 6 until the pressure of bow string S t on crown cord 32 is released by projection. Thereupon the air resistance on the folded parachute serves to hold fin :24 in that same position until the projection force is spent and the projectile begins its curved course from projected flight to dropping flight. As soon as the air resistance substantially lessens, spring 26 draws fin 2d to release position, as illustrated at Fig. 3, and the air resistance slides the parachute off of fin 2d whereupon the parachute opens and fioats the projectile to earth in the manner illustrated at Fig. 4.

In the embodiment illustrated at Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I provide a somewhat different fin 3d having a parachute-engagin edge L la positioned directly above and extending substantially equidistant on each side of tip 23 and terminating in one direction at stop 3% while in the other direction it merges into inclined edge fi ic, the fin being rigidly secured between furcations 23?) as by pin 3-5, seating edge 36 and abutting edge 3?.

In operation, with this embodiment, the parachute is drawn taut over edge 34a and held taut by crown cord 32 beneath the bow string in the same manner as above described but in this case the parachute is preferably evenly distributed along edge 3 in so that it will be substantially centered with or evenly balanced upon the projectile. The parachute will be held against this edge in projected flight by air resistance in the manner above described.

When the projecting force is spent and the projectile is following the are from projected flight to dropping flight, the air resistance acting against the extension portion of the fin beneath edge 3-60, will rotate the projectile until the extension portion of the fin is on the upper side of the projectile as indicated at Fig. 8, in which position, as the projectile begins to move downward, the air resistance will slide the parachute along and off of edge S la and along and off of edge B te freeing it to open and float the projectile to earth as above described.

The embodiment illustrated at Fig. ll will operate on a like principle. Here the fin 38 has a plain top edge 38a and is secured to the tip in substantially thesame manner as the fin last above described having a pin 35, seating edge 36 and abutting edge 3?, the same as previously described. This fin may also conveni ntly have anotherabutting edge 39. The larger area of the fin is to the left of the tip as viewed at 11. The parachute is folded over the edge 33a in the same manneras over edge 34a in the last previous described embodiment and is preferably distributed centrally as regards tip 23 so that the air resistance upon the parachute during proand float the projectile to earth.

When a parachute of exceedingly light material is used the simple embodiment illustrated at Fig. 11 will be found quite satisfactory for ordinary use and the embodiment illustrated at Figs. 8 to 10 will be found entirely satisfactory. With heavier materials the preferred embodiment first described will be found the best and that embodiment will operate with the lightest of materials at least as well as, and sometimes better than, either of the other embodiments.

I have illustrated in the drawing and herein described vmany details of construction. but it will be understood that other equivalent structures may be used in. many cases which equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art and I do not wish to be limitedin protection to the details illustrated and described but I desire patent protection including equivalent or alternative structures within the spirit and scope of the foregoinlg specification and a broad reading of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A projectile adapted to carry a folded parachute having a crown cord and a shroud-line cord, comprising a shaft carrying at its forward end a fiat fin extending outwardly from said shaft in both directions but having a larger area on one side of the shaft than on the other side thereof, and having a front edge substantially perpendicular to the [axis of the shaft and adapted for the folding of a parachute thereover.

2. In combination with a shaft and a para- :chute attached thereto, a member carried at the tip of the shaft adapted to receive a parachute folder thereover, means for holding said parachute taut upon said member in such folded position, said holding means being releasable automatically responsive to the projection of the shaft, said member being so positioned'that the parachute will be held upon said member responsive to air resistance during projected flight, said member being fiat and extending in both directions from the axis of the shaft but having a larger area on one side of the shaft than on the other side thereof.

3. A. parachute projecting and releasing device comprising, in combination, a shaft, a parachute attached thereto, a thin, flat member carried at the tip of the shaft having a front edge substantially perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and adapted to receive said parachute collapsed and' folded thereover, said member extending from the shaft laterally in both direc.

tions but having a larger area on one side of said shaft than on the other side thereof.

4. A tip assembly for parachute-carrying projectiles, compriisng a tip member having a seat therein for the front end of the projectile and a fin carried b the tip member and extending outwardly from said member in opposite directions and having a front edge substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the projectile and adapted for folding the parachute thereover, said fin having a greater area on one side of said tip member than on the other side and the saidedge terminating in a stop element on the side having the lesser area.

5. A tip assembly for parachute-carrying profin carried by the tip member and extending outwardly from said member in opposite directions and having a front edge substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the projectile and adapted for the folding of a parachute thereover, said fin being pivoted in saidtip member whereby to swing in a plane includ- I jectiles, comprising a tip member having a. seat therein forthe front end of the projectile and a ing the longitudinal axis of the tip member and resilient means connecting the tip member and the portion of the fin at one side of the tip member whereby to normally swing said fin to inoline its said edge away from the said perpendicular position and toward alignment with the longitudinal axis of the projectile.

ALFRED L. RUTHVEN.

r 6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the me of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

